Halter-chain.



N0. 690,80l.v Y Patented Jan. 7,1902.

3. m. WELLS, IR. 7

HALTER CHAIN.

Application filed May 1, 1901.!

(No Model.)

I In

around a hitching-post or stanchion.

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN M. WELLS, JR, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE GREYSTONE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF GREYSTONE, CONNECTI- CUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Application filed May 1, 1901.

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, STEPHEN M.WELLs, J r., a citizen of the United States, residing at Bristol, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Halter-Chains; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates tochains for leading and tying or hitching animals, and has for its object to produce an improved device whereby the usual and ordinary chain carrying at one end a T bar or toggle may be quickly formed into a loop and secured Such chains are usually formed of sheet metal links, and prior to the present invention a plate having substantially av keyhole-slot has been provided designed to be passed over the chain and to receive the T-bar, thus forming a loop in the chain. This device has been found to be objectionable, for the reason that there was no positive means for preventing the accidental drawing of the chain through the keyhole-opening, and it was found that the movements of the animal when secured by the chain caused such accidental drawing of the chain throughthe plate and the consequent loosening or tightening of the loop.

In the present invention the opening in the plate is provided with means for positively engaging the chain-link, and when the T-bar is engaged by said plate the chain is positively prevented from being drawn through the same.

The present invention. consists of the devices and combinations of devices which will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims. 7 i

The present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a portion of the ordinary and Well-known chain, showing the operation of my improvedloop-plate. Fig. 2 shows the loop-plate removed from the-chain. Fig. 3

shows the loop-plate and a portion of the Patent No. 690,801, dated January 7, 1902.

Serial No. 581355. (No model.)

chain engaged by the loop-plate prior to the connection of the T-bar therewith. Fig. 4isa similar view illustrating the position of the link which carries the T-bar when connected with the plate to form a loop in the chain.

Similar reference-letters will be employed throughout the specification and drawings to designate corresponding parts.

,In the drawings, a, shows a chain composed of the usual sheet-metal links, such chain being well-known and need not be particularly described. At one end the chain 01. carries a T-bar b, which is loosely connected to the eye of the end link of the chain.

It is desirable at times to form a loop 0 in the chain a, to be placed around a hitchingpost or stanchion, and for this purpose I have provided the loop-plate (1. As shown in the drawings, the loop-plate is substantially rectangular in shape and formed of any suitable sheet metal, preferably steel, and it is provided with an opening c, said opening being substantially circular at its upper end and having the downwardly-diverging slots f communicating with the circular part of the opening, thus providing the upwardly-extending post g, which terminates substantially at the periphery of the circular portion of the opening e. The. post g is designed to engage any link in the chain either in the elongated slot of the link or in the eye it at a suitable distance from the T-bar b to form a loop 0 of the desired size.

After the post 9 has engaged a link the T- bar 17 is passed through the circular opening e and drawn back into the position shown in Fig. 1, whereupon the eye h of the link which carries said T-bar will assume the position shown'in Fig. 4,.thus effectually preventing the disengagement of the loop-plate d from the link of the chain with which the post g has been connected.

An important advantage possessed by my loop-plate over those of the prior art is that the'chain is positively held from accidental slipping through the plate, and, again, the loop-plate may be connected with either the eye or the elongated slot of a link, and thus the formation of the loop in the chain may be quickly accomplished without the necessity of carefully'adjusting the chain-link in the loop-plate, which is necessarywith those devices of the prior art which are adapted only to engage a certain portion of the link.

Having described my invention, I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United St-ates'- 1. The combination with a chain, provided with a T-bar, of a loop-plate carried by said chain provided with an opening designed to permit the free passage of the chain through the plate, and means in said opening for engaging one of the chain-links, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a chain, provided with a T-bar, of a loop-plate carried by said chain provided with an opening for the free passage of the chain, and a post to engage one of the chain-links, substantially as described.

3. A loop-plate for chains provided with a substantially keyhole-shaped opening, and

having apost extending from the base of said 

